Donald Trump came under fire Friday evening after the president appeared to call Texas Senate candidate James Talarico “this transgender” during a Fox News interview.
The controversy sparked after a sneak peek of Lara Trump’s interview with her father-in-law, which is set to air on Saturday, released online Friday, where the president took aim at the Democratic party.
“What they are is, they’re good salesmen,” President Trump said. “But they have no policy. Their policy is horrible. I don’t understand it, but they never change it.”
As he went on, Trump bemoaned the left’s stance on the inclusion of transgender athletes in sports, noting, “They won’t change men playing in women’s sports. They won’t, you know, this transgender, this guy running in Texas, he says there are six genders. He wears a mask all the time. He’s a disaster candidate.”
It didn’t take long for the sneak peek to get clipped and shared on X, with several users speaking out against the president’s comments about Talarico, given the politician is not transgender.
Trump on Talarico: This transgender—this guy running in Texas, he wears a mask all the time. He’s a disaster candidate. I think Ken Paxton is going to destroy him. pic.twitter.com/I8Xmbv8l76
— Acyn (@Acyn) May 30, 2026
“@jamestalarico and the @TheDemocrats should sue Trump and Fox News for defamation just like Trump sued networks for inaccurate reporting,” one critic wrote on X. “Talarico is not transgender. Trump’s reporter is unfair and unbalanced daughter in law will not correct him but prefers to giggle.
Another chimed in with, “He is not transgender, but you are a f–king bigot.” A third noted, “Slandering people comes too easily with Trump.”
However, some voiced concern about Trump’s cognitive health over the remark. One user wrote, “I think he actually believes he’s trans.” A second commented, “Trump can’t string together two sentences. His brain is toast.”
Representatives for the White House and Fox News did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
Trump’s jab at Talarico follows a similar dig Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff for policy, made this week. As we previously reported, Miller sounded off on the DNC’s support of Talarico’s campaign, writing, “The Democrats made history in Texas by nominating their first transgender Senate candidate.”
The DNC’s official account’s response to Miller was short, but scathing: “Shut up you ugly f–k.”
It’s unclear if Trump meant to co-sign Miller’s commentary, but the timing is certainly noteworthy.
